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Executive Director of UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima, has shared a moving encounter that highlighted the regional solidarity surrounding her husband, Ugandan opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye.
In a social media post on Thursday, Byanyima said she was out walking by a lake when she received a surprise phone call from an elderly woman in Kenya.
Despite never having met her, the caller expressed deep admiration for Byanyima and voiced concern over the ongoing court case facing Besigye.
“She said she admired me and she was following Kizza Besigye’s case and praying for justice for him. I’m lifted up. It will be well,” Byanyima wrote.
The brief exchange, which she described as uplifting, comes at a time when Besigye continues to challenge political and legal hurdles in Uganda.
A long-standing critic of President Yoweri Museveni, Besigye has been arrested numerous times over the years and remains a symbol of resilience for opposition politics in the country.
Byanyima’s revelation also underscores the cross-border attention that Besigye’s struggles attract, with Kenyans and other East Africans keeping a close watch on developments.
The Kenyan woman’s gesture of solidarity reflects how Besigye’s fight is seen beyond Uganda as part of the broader regional struggle for justice and democracy.
The former Oxfam International chief, who is widely respected for her advocacy on health and social justice, noted that such unexpected support gives her hope during what she described as a difficult period.